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Challenges and Opportunities: Open Educational Resources (Oers) at Mcgill University

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Challenges and Opportunities: Open Educational Resources (Oers) at Mcgill University 1 Challenges and opportunities: Open Educational Resources (OERs) at McGill University Written by Casarina Hocevar for the Student Society of McGill University (SSMU) Supervised by Jessica Lange, McGill University Library & Archives April 28, 2017 This report was sponsored by the Student Society of McGill University (SSMU) as a part of the SSMU Library Improvement Fund. 2 Contents Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ 4 INTRODUCTION AND HISTORY .............................................................................................. 7 Introduction and Definition ......................................................................................................... 7 History ......................................................................................................................................... 7 Motivation ............................................................................................................................... 8 STUDENT EXPERIENCE ........................................................................................................... 10 Introduction: Rising Textbook Costs ........................................................................................ 10 Student Responses to Textbook Affordability .......................................................................... 11 What are Alternatives to Expensive Cost Material? .............................................................. 22 Key Takeaways ......................................................................................................................... 25 FACULTY EXPERIENCE: OER BARRIERS AND BENEFITS ............................................... 26 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 26 Faculty Barriers in Using OERs ................................................................................................ 27 Unfamiliarity with OERs ....................................................................................................... 27 Lack of Institutional Support ................................................................................................. 28 Ownership, Access and Quality ............................................................................................. 28 Benefits of OERs ....................................................................................................................... 30 Teaching and Learning Flexibility ........................................................................................ 31 Cutting-edge material ............................................................................................................ 32 Environmental benefits .......................................................................................................... 33 Student Success ..................................................................................................................... 34 Key Takeaways ......................................................................................................................... 36 CURRENT OER INITIATIVES AND INCENTIVE PROGRAMS IN NORTH AMERICA .... 38 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 38 Canadian Provincial Government Support ............................................................................ 39 Institutional Initiatives ........................................................................................................... 41 Outreach and Awareness ....................................................................................................... 45 Alternatives and Other ‘Free’ Content ................................................................................. 46 Key Takeaways ......................................................................................................................... 48 RECOMMENDATIONS .............................................................................................................. 49 3 Recommendation #1: Have the SSMU and McGill University engage in further data collection and information on OERs and affordable course content at McGill. ........................................ 49 Possible Research Questions… ............................................................................................. 50 Recommendation #2: Have the SSMU and other student associations on-campus engage in greater student advocacy efforts towards OERs ....................................................................... 52 Recommendation #3: Increase the amount of institutional support for OERs on-campus through: ..................................................................................................................................... 54 Partnering with McGill Library & Archives ......................................................................... 55 Partnering with McGill’s Teaching and Learning Services .................................................. 57 Policy Adoption at the Institutional Level ............................................................................. 58 Creating Incentive Programs at McGill University ............................................................... 59 Key Takeaways ......................................................................................................................... 63 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................. 64 Works Cited .................................................................................................................................. 65 APPENDIX ................................................................................................................................... 70 4 Executive Summary Background: Open Educational Resources (OERs) are teaching and learning resources that are freely available and are often released under an open license so that they may be further adapted. OERs have largely grown out of enthusiasm about the potential of technology to increase the accessibility of education and offer new modes of pedagogy for educators. Interest in Open Education has grown across North America recently, especially from students who feel they no longer can afford the cost of course materials. For example, over the last decade textbook prices have increased by 88%, which is four times the inflation rate, and markedly higher than the 63% increase in tuition.1 OERs are seeing an ever-growing investment by governments and educational and private institutions who seek to create, maintain, and disseminate OERs. In Canada, governmental support for OERs has been found in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. BC’s Open Textbook Project has successfully saved students an estimated 3.6 - 4.2 million dollars across 32 different participating institutions since 2012.2 The success of the project has arguably sparked greater interest in neighbouring provinces. Purpose: Sponsored by the Student Society of McGill University (SSMU), the report “Challenges and Opportunities: Open Educational Resources (OERs) at McGill University,” provides a comprehensive review of the benefits and concerns regarding OERs, existing OER initiatives in North America, and their potential application at McGill. The report argues that the two primary reasons McGill should invest in the development and implementation of OERs on campus are that they improve access to education and offer a new, flexible pedagogical tool. Findings: By incorporating evidence from other university case studies, academic papers, and a survey conducted with over 130 McGill students, the report found the following: 1. Students spend an average of $580/year on course material (notably lower than the $1000 McGill suggests they budget).3 This discrepancy is not because textbooks cost less than expected but rather that students are seeking alternatives to purchasing textbooks new. a. Science students will often pay nearly double than their counterparts in the Arts. 2. Due to their high costs, students will frequently go without (required) course material. 3. Students are willing to use both legal and illegal methods to obtain cheaper/free course material. 1 Senack, Ethan. “Fixing the Broken Textbook Market: How Students Respond to High Textbooks Costs and Demand Alternatives,” The Student PIRGs, January 2014. P. 7. http://www.studentpirgs.org/reports/sp/fixing- broken-textbook-market 2 “Open Textbook Stats.” BCcampus/OpenEd. Web. https://open.bccampus.ca/open-textbook-stats/ Accessed: April 27th, 2017. 3 “Calculate your costs.” Scholarships and Student Aid McGill. Web. http://www.mcgill.ca/studentaid/finances/cost Accessed: April 27th, 2017. 5 4. Students are worried about the effects of inconsistent access to course material on their university success. 5. Students are interested in seeing OERs in more classes not only because of their affordability but also the flexibility they provide by having both digital and low-cost print formats available. On the flipside, educators expressed a variety of reasons why they have not used OERs in their classrooms. These have included: 1. Not knowing what they are. 2. Confusion over ownership and licensing (e.g. “What is an Open License?”). 3. The time burden
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